When the Sun Sets
by rainingWolf
Summary: Out of everyone in the entire galaxy, Shiro just so happened to chance upon Allura on a starry night. Set in a zombie AU./ Shallura. Oneshot turned multichapter.
1. Chapter 1

Inspired by **sleapyGazelle's** Absolute Zero story which is a Voltron AU that has zombies.

Cover Image by **kiriiglumanda** on Tumblr.

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 **Chapter 1**

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The bare trees were guardians, standing watch over the young woman as she blew on her hands and held them over the small fire in front of her. White strands of hair fell out of her bun as the woman shifted closer to warmth. The branches crackled under the flames, breaking the silence, as the shadows grew long and wrapped themselves over her.

The sun had started her descent onto the horizon's bosoms not too long ago.

Something echoed from the forest, soft, like snow falling from above, and the woman was gone, steady hands leading her up a nearby tree. She pulled a gun from under her jacket and stilled, her breath the only hint of her presence.

A beat, two, passed before a man emerged. One hand came up to push a pair of goggles up to his hair; the other held a sword at the ready. The man almost looked like a samurai from soon to be forgotten movies and books. A shock of white hair protruded among the black like a black ship silently pulling into harbor. He knelt near the dying embers of the fire and traced the edges of an imprint…

It was a bootprint. The woman in the tree muttered under her breath and gripped her gun tighter as the man's head turned from the ground to the sky.

Their eyes met and didn't turn away.

There was a pointed moment where the shadows engulfed them more as the sun slid further to rest in the embrace of the horizon. The man suddenly smiled and put both hands up in a gesture of peace.

"I don't want any trouble. I'm just passing through." The smile was small, warm, reminded the woman of the dying fire behind him. She lowered the gun slightly, still wary, as the man took a cautious step forward, sword held loosely in one hand.

When the woman still didn't say anything, he continued his way across the small clearing until he was stopped by her calling out to him.

"It's getting dark. Only fools wander in these parts at night."

The man's dimples grew more prominent as he replied, "Are you concerned about a stranger like me?"

The woman rolled her eyes; the action was visible even from where the man was standing as she slid her gun back into her jacket and pulled rope from her belt in one smooth motion. "I couldn't care less about you," she said as she started to tie her legs to the wide tree branch she was on with steady hands. It was clear that this wasn't the first time the woman had sought refuge in the trees.

She was tying the first of a series of knots when she finally looked back down to the man. "Now are you just going to stand there and become fodder for the walkers or do you wanna live?" Her white hair spilled out as she unwound her hair, untangling it into a wave of comfort around her.

The sun with her rose gold fingers kissed the horizon harder; the man couldn't help the growing smile on his face. He sheathed the sword and swung the entire thing, scabbard and all, onto his back as he pulled himself up into a neighboring tree. Reaching a comfortable spot that was conveniently at the same eye level as the woman, he too started tying himself to the tree.

"So are you always this nice to strangers or is it just me?" Finishing up the final touches to the ropes that would secure him, the man looked across at the woman who looked back at him, eyes inspecting one another.

Her ears were unlike his. He had a scar across his nose.

She replied, "Maybe I just have a soft spot for fools like you."

"Hey now," he bickered back, his posture relaxed. "You know it's always the fools who save the day, right? You've gotta give us more credit." His playful tone carried across the space between them and the woman couldn't resist wrinkling her nose in amusement.

"So I didn't exactly catch your name there." The man sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and the woman let out a small laugh.

"I didn't give it."

The man shifted and wrapped his jacket closer for warmth as the sun waved her rose gold fingers in farewell. "Yea but I'd like to have it."

A beat, two, passed before the woman answered, "Allura."

"Shiro," the man said in return and settled further into the tree, moss and leaves acting as a cushion.

Silence reigned as Allura did the same, trying not to think of Shiro across the way.

The sun had finally found her rest among the stars.

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\- Shoutout to **sleapyGazelle** who is always inspiring me with new ideas! I never would have thought of zombie AU on my own.

\- Reviews are really appreciated! Even if it's just you telling me that you liked it! :)

\- Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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The trees brightened, moss turning to face the sun with her rose gold fingers to say good morning. Leaves faced towards the light and Allura awoke, remembering warmth from her dreams that made her feel soft for the first time since the apocalypse happened. She looked across the way. Shiro was gone.

Allura looked down and was greeted with a small smile. It was Shiro. He gave a little wave as she slowly unraveled the rope around her legs and stretched. She felt his steady eyes on her as she climbed down the tree. Upon reaching solid ground again, Shiro gestured to a spot across the smouldering flames of yesterday's fire. He handed a ration bar to her and she accepted with no questions. It was stale. The taste lingered in her mouth but it was better than nothing. She chanced a look over at the man across the way and was pleased to see kind crinkles around his eyes and laughter curling on the corner of his lips.

They sat in cautious but comfortable silence as the sun with her rose gold fingers stretched further to embrace the sky and Allura took the moment to further examine the young fool who was poking the embers with a kind of childish delight.

In the encroaching darkness yesterday, she had only seen an outline of the man and, more importantly, the deep but healed scar across the bridge of his nose. Now in the light of the sun and her rose gold fingers, Allura took note of the shock of white hair amongst the black, the bandage that wrapped the right arm all the way to the hand, and the balanced way he held himself. There was a slight bulge under his pant ankle; there was a small pistol beneath and Allura pretended she didn't notice as she swept her hair up into a bun.

They ate quickly, both keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any uninvited guests, and it was not long before a shuffling sound echoed in the forest, spooking some birds into the sky. As if they've rehearsed it before, Shiro doused the dying embers with ash, hand at the hilt of his shortsword. Allura had already shot up from her seat, gun at the ready, pointing in the opposite direction of where Shiro faced. At some unspoken agreement, they both started their retreat from the clearing together.

By the time they stopped their trek from the clearing where they met, the sun with her rose gold fingers had risen fully into the sky. Clouds meandered peacefully across, occasionally blocking the sun's light. In another lifetime, Allura would have enjoyed such a walk as she dropped her pack down on the side of a small stream and knelt to drink the water but the eerie silence of the once vibrant forest of Japone was a constant reminder that something had gone awry. Shiro too set down his pack, wiping sweat from his forehead before also kneeling next to Allura to drink some water as well.

Allura chanced a glance over at the human, the man, who had been by her side for the past couple hours. He was a human, yes, but he also looked different than those she had seen before even more darkness enveloped the universe. Before the war. Before she was put to sleep for millennia only to awaken in a human's arms. A sleep meant to protect but had left the universe defenseless instead…

Shiro's face, usually accompanied with a smile that she had become acquainted with last night, was devoid of mirth. She supposed a life on the run would do that to you though a small part of her prefered the smiles than the face the man harbored now.

His eyes found hers and the smile she had been missing appeared on his face; it was soft and warm. There was a beat, two, where only the water and the sun were witnesses to this moment before it was cut short by a rustling on Allura's left. Before she could do anything, a stumbling walker emerged. Maggots crawled out an eye and there was a visible hole in one of its arms but it didn't stop the walker as its grubby hands reached forward, intent on grabbing the woman.

In the second it took for Allura to blink at the offending creature, that was all it took for Shiro to throw the dagger he'd strapped on his sleeve; it plunged right into the walker's head and the zombie slumped down, defeated. Allura exhaled, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, and was jostled out of her trance at the thing that almost ended her life when a warm hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Shiro's voice was hard, iron, as he let go of her, walking over to pull his weapon from the walker; the dagger slid out with a disgusting squelch but Allura's focus was no longer on her near death experience. Instead, it was on the clothes that the walker had once worn.

It was old. It was ragged. But the Altean glyphs on it were unmistakable. They were frayed on the fabric but the characters were distinct enough that she could make it out through the grimes of the universe. Her breath caught and she was reaching out in hunger when everything came back into focus at the sound of Shiro calling her name.

"-llura. Allura!"

Her wrist ached as Shiro's hand came down on it, jerking it away from the dead again creature. The iron mask he had been wearing was sliding off- relief was flooding in- as he pulled her further away from the walker. Next to them, the stream bubbled and curved around the rocks in her body; the sun had reached the apex of her glory by this point and reached down with her rose gold fingers to envelope the world with warmth. Yet, Allura didn't feel it. Instead, she felt the coldness of the snow covered forest around her seep into her bones and she couldn't help but shiver.

"What's wrong?"

She turned, met grey eyes, and was grounded by the warm hand still gripping her wrist. At his question, she responded.

"Nothing."

She hoped that answer would suffice, hoped that Shiro wouldn't pry anymore, and her wish was granted when he raised an eyebrow and let go. She missed the heat of his hand but brushed it aside. In the silence that emerged, they both took this moment to grab their packs and started their retreat from the stream.

After all, there was never just one walker.

Their pace increased but it didn't feel that way to Allura whose thoughts were still on the fleeting image of Altean glyphs. While the creature had not looked Altean, the clothes it had once worn jogged memories of Altean traders travelling across the universe. But that had been a very long time ago. Even before she was born, those out stretched trading posts had been abandoned long ago in favor of keeping to their home planet, Altea. The Galra had scared away too many of her people for them to keep up positions and appearances on other planets.

There was just no way that walker had been Altean. After all, she had awoke after millennia of sleep to a dead planet, a dominant Empire, and a deadly virus that had infected millions.

Shiro's foot crunching on ice as he plowed on ahead distracted away the lingering thoughts of the wasteful hope of someday seeing her people alive again. Allura took in the sight of his broad back that the camouflage jacket could barely contain and wondered what he wanted out of being with her. Shiro could have left when the sun with her rose gold fingers pried over the horizon like a newborn child but he had stayed.

He had stayed, guided her when she didn't ask, and helped her when he didn't have to. They had not talked since the night before when they had both slept under the stars. Nor did they talk much beyond pleasantries in the morning when she had yawned and Shiro had this gentle teasing look on his face. He had not asked what her story was or where she was headed. He had just picked up his belongings and struck a course with no words.

Some of her hair that wasn't tied up in the bun flew in front of her face and Shiro's image was blocked for a second before another whisper of wind blew her hair right back out of her face. It was just in time for her to see Shiro holding out a hand in a universal signal to stop. She halted immediately, senses on high alert, and resisted the urge to grab her weapon. Any sudden movement could mean death as snow from the surrounding trees drifted down. The wind sang sweet songs in their ears but it was no use. Allura had already heard the rustling of creeping slow footsteps towards them that was almost muffled by the powdered snow. No doubt Shiro had heard the same and that was why he had stopped their journey out of the forest.

They didn't have many options. Either they stayed where they were and fought or tried to get to safety. If they stayed and fought, there was always a risk of being injured among opponents. However, in the face of the unknown, trying to get to higher ground may not be the safer option as well. Their footsteps had not been masked by the slow falling snow and if it was living creatures following them, then they would notice the unmistakable shapes of footprints. If they were lucky, the trudging of sounds coming towards them were just a few walkers. If so, then they would be easy pickings for Allura and Shiro.

In the second it took for Allura to calculate all this, Shiro had already made the first move. His short sword made a whisper of sound as it came out of the sheath; it rang loud and the sound seemed to vibrate in the air as something came down from above and slammed into the sword before bouncing off. The creature turned out not to be a reanimated corpse nor any living being that they had to flee from.

It was a Japonean bearcat, native to the planet, and it landed a few feet away and shook angrily, displeased. Small in size but ferocious in attaining what it wants, these creatures hunt in groups, exhausting their prey with number advantages before devouring their food. As the one that had catapulted itself from the nearby tree reared up on two legs, more of its brethren slinked out of the woods and surrounded Allura and Shiro. Allura heard Shiro say something but the wind had robbed them both of each other's words as the creatures attacked. She could hear Shiro's sword slicing through the air and the bearcats' pained hisses. It was a sign for her to move and it was a conscious decision to not take out the gun at her hip and blast the animals away. She ducked as one launched itself at her and she pulled her bo staff, clicking the button to extend it to full length. Whacking one of the creatures aside with her staff, her foot came up to kick another that was trying to claw at her boots.

A bearcat flew past her and into a tree, courtesy of Shiro; it hit with a _thud_ and slumped down, defeated. At the sight of their friends' bodies, most of the bearcats were hesitant and they eventually backed off as the sun with her rose gold fingers started her descent from the sky, as if frightened by the small carnage before her eyes. Allura stood her ground, staff at the ready, as the wind blew her way and she felt more than saw Shiro approach to stand by her side. With no immediate danger in sight, she took the moment to look over at him and was surprised to see him looking at her the way same she was to him. They were both inspecting each other for injuries and once caught in action, Shiro grinned, apparently satisfied that everything was okay.

Allura said nothing and pretended not to notice the once tightly wrapped bandages on his right hand and arm starting to unwind just enough for her to spy what was beneath; it was a familiar haunting purple that had filled her dreams and clogged her throat whenever she thought back to the last few moments she had with her father before everything changed. She should leave because that aching color purple was going to be the death of her just like it meant the death of her people, her planet, and so many others. But Shiro didn't drop his gaze and it felt natural to take his outstretched unbandaged hand as if he was a Prince and she was once again a Princess of a planet once so alive.

"Let's go," said Shiro as overhead, stars began to appear in the sky, still faint but gradually growing stronger in light. In the distance, a wisp of smoke plumed just barely above the treetops; it was the distinct smoke of a small aircraft and it was that direction Shiro took her. Upon reaching the site, Shiro strode up to the spaceship and patted the black side fondly as if it was a living being.

"This is yours?" Allura couldn't help asking as she took in the sight of the man before her walking up the gangway of the ship.

"Isn't she a beauty?"

"You're a fool," she retorted as she walked inside as well. At his raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "For not hiding the ship."

Shiro grinned back as he swept a hand around, welcoming her to his humble abode. "What does it matter? I may be a fool but I'm a lucky fool. If Gale doesn't wanna be found, then nobody can find her. Only me. That's just the way we work."

'Gale' was obviously what Shiro had named the sorry excuse for a ship but it was a ship nonetheless which meant a way off this planet. Allura dropped her pack on one of the chairs as the human took his outer layer off, revealing a tight black shirt underneath that accentuated his every muscle. She took a moment to admire the man's physique as she too shed her jacket and unwound the scarf around her neck. As she wrapped them up to put inside her bag, she heard the hum of the engine; Gale came to life and proceeded to flood the chamber with warmth.

"Ready to get off this rock?"

Shiro looked up from his seat at the head of the ship and Allura couldn't help but let slip a small smile of her own when she saw his crooked smile. It was an invitation, an offer, something that he didn't have to give but he had anyways. She settled into the seat next to him and looked up at the stars as the sun finally found respite in the horizon's bosoms. The woman rested against the armrest and didn't move when Shiro did the same, his hand dangling just out of reach a couple inches away. His other hand, the bandaged one, was on the wheel; the stripes of cloth around it were clean and neat. He had rewrapped it.

Allura was this much closer to reaching the glowing lights above, this much closer to her goals, so she leaned back, feeling warmth for the first time in a long time since she had stepped out of the frozen pod with her father's image seared into her eyelids.

"Yes. Let's."

Gale roared to life. Snow fell off her wings. And she slid into the darkness of the night as the sun sighed and bade Japone farewell for another day.

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\- Originally I wanted this to be a oneshot but ultimately, I think I want to do a long term project with this story and the universe that **sleapyGazelle** and I will be creating. While the foundation of this universe will be in-canon, we will eventually be adding our own spices to the mix.

\- Hope you enjoy and please leave a comment. Reviews always help. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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Out the window, multiple planets were experiencing the sun with her rose gold fingers as she danced just within reach, providing warmth and light to all. Yet, inside Gale, Allura did not see the beauty of this as she awoke suddenly and violently; the blanket that had shielded her from the hissing cold vents dropped down, crumpled. She did not remember her dreams and some vague phantom pain echoed in her head as her brain muddled through to full consciousness. Shiro sat besides her, bandaged hand still on the controls guiding the ship through space. He seemed to have not moved at all since Gale's doors slid shut on Japone and her engines hummed its way into the open universe.

The man looked concerned and his left hand was still on the armrest just out of her reach. His fingers tapped against the armrest and a crease wrinkled its way across his face. His mouth thinned when Allura shifted to grab the blanket off the floor but he said nothing. He continued to pretend not to look as she fisted the blanket around her tighter and the woman was glad that the silence stretched for as long as it did. It gave her time to shut her eyes again for a minute or two, allowing her to reorganize her thoughts.

After all, she's sure that Shiro had his own nightmares to deal with. He didn't need to know about hers as well.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to a warmer atmosphere; Shiro had made the heat higher and she appreciated the gesture as she rolled her neck to get out the kinks of sleeping in a chair.

"Morning," Shiro said next to her and it was said with such fondness that Allura couldn't help but smile at him.

"Morning," she replied, sitting up straighter and stretching out her arms. Outside the window, there was nothing but black. Some lights twinkled in the distant but it was clear that they were in the middle of dead space with miles to go before Gale could be put back to sleep on solid ground. At her unasked question, Shiro answered, "We're between the Godivea and Uthal Systems right now. It's gonna be a while before we reach even the edge of Uthal."

There was no need for him to explain why they hadn't just stopped in the Godivea System in the first place which was the next system over from where Japone had been located. Anybody who was anybody would have known that the Godivea System had been one of the first to succumb to the virus. Only those who sought to loot treasures and were adventurous enough would enter any of the planets or moons in that system.

Shiro shifted besides her. His hand came up to stifle a yawn. It was cute when he attempted to wipe sleep from his eyes.

"You should rest." The man's gaze was sharp as he gave Allura his full attention and she blinked, suddenly conscious of the sliver of space between them and how his eyes matched the emptiness outside the window. "Before you fall asleep at the controls and carreen us into the nearest asteroid."

"Oh love, there's no need to be so commanding. All you had to do was ask." His humor failed him as he yawned again, this time unsuccessful in hiding it behind his hand. He knew it, she knew it, and so, it was without words when they switched their places, with Allura now in the driver's seat. She supposed it took a lot for Shiro to surrender his ship to a stranger who he'd knew for only two days but when she looked at his already closed eyes, she couldn't help the heat that had been blowing out the vent settle down in her stomach.

She took the controls in her hands and tilted it forward, guiding Gale faster towards the Uthal System. Overhead, stars twinkled in the distant and she made sure not to look eastwards towards the one faint purple star among a cluster. Some days, she would seek out that star and pretended that Altea was still there, still present, and not actually ashes scattered across the universe. But today was not that day. She needed no reminder that the far off star was fake; it was only a gas of light, visible from light years away. The image of the empty space where her planet stood had been carved into her heart since the moment she had woken from millennia of sleep, her father's name on her lips.

She's not sure how much time had passed, if it did at all as Shiro slept besides her, his breathing a distant sea, touching shore and retreating, touching shore and retreating, an old pump that kept going. But she was sure of one thing as Gale flew further and further away from the Godivea System and closer to Uthal.

Something was wrong with Shiro. Allura had tucked him in earlier with the same blanket he had wound around her when their positions were reversed but the blanket was now a tight knot as the man's hands tightened their hold on it; there was a tint of purple leaking out from beneath the bandages of his right hand and she had no time to react before Shiro jerked awake with a strangled gasp of air that was quickly quashed but nonetheless sounded like a horn in the silent room.

There was a beat, two, as Allura froze, her knuckles white around the controls, and Shiro managed to even out his breathing. The moment stretched onwards as in the distant, the first signs of the Uthal System appeared on the horizon. Shiro shifted in his seat, glow no longer present in his right hand, and he looked away, out the window, and to the cluster of stars fading from overhead. Allura pretended not to see the glittering purple star fade from view in the east and shifted in tandem, crossing and uncrossing her legs. No words needed to be said as Gale's engine hummed and Shiro shifted once more, but this time, to face her.

His face was tired, weary, but open and Allura gripped the controls harder, ignoring the heat spreading upwards and how she had the urge to put a hand on his face to soothe the fleeting look of heartbreak away.

Instead, her breath caught as Ungalord appeared overhead and it cast both of them in its shadow. The moon was serene, a world of living beings on its surface, but the greenery did not distract Allura from seeing the purple hues on the horizon from where a nearby dying star waved its rose gold fingers farewell for another rotation. The floating rock was too close to heart, too close to home, and she's sure that it's her with heartbreak on her face this time before she could shutter it away.

She blinked. She swallowed hard. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding until Shiro put a tentative hand on hers, taking it off the controls and warming it between his own the way he had beheld the dying embers from the day they met.

They sat, hand in hand, and watched the moon's face go dark, having lost its light for yet another day.

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\- A short chapter this time. Wanted a lull in the action before it starts up again in Chapter 4.

\- Hope y'all enjoy it! Drop a comment!

\- Also, Happy Halloween! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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The air was still. Then, one by one, the sun's rose gold fingers slipped across the horizon and the marketplace slowly roused itself. Allura peered out from under her hood and was glad that at least this part of Gelezarg was significantly hotter than the dense snowy forests in the south of Japone. A group of local Gelezians slithered by, presumably on their way to work in one of the stalls. Their tails made marks in the sandy pathway and Allura stepped further into the alcove's shade. Even if it was just barely morning, the humidity was already unbearable and she wished she could do something about her hair beyond just a simple braid that was bursting out of the confines of the hair tie.

She brushed the stray hairs away from her face, shifting side to side to relieve the aching of her feet as she waited for Shiro at the meeting spot they had designated earlier when they had separated; behind her, the giant walls that isolated the city of Gilpe from the outside world stood silent and provided respite from the sun's eager rays. She shook the pine and needle feeling in her foot away, and tried not to step on any of the bags that she had placed on the ground beside her. Upon reaching Gelelzard, Shiro had landed Gale on the outskirts of Gilpe and announced that they needed to resupply if they were planning on going anywhere else. An unspoken lingering question was "where?" but they had both ignored it and opted to each go buy provisions needed for a long haul.

Allura sighed and wiped the sweat beading her brows with the light scarf she had wrapped to protect herself from the heat when the wind curled around her ears.

"- Voltron-"

"No-... Find…- Earthling….-"

There was nothing. Then, there was everything as all of Allura's senses heightened and she whipped around, not even noticing her hood sliding off to reveal her face. Her lips parted. Her vision blacked around the edges and zeroed in on the two creatures having the conversation that had ignited her heart.

Earthling. That could only mean Shiro. There were hardly any humans around, especially in this part of the universe. Earthlings have barely even explored the full extent of their own galaxy. Only those unfortunate enough to have been graced by Luck would be out here. And Voltron...

Allura had known that word before she was born. It had been ingrained in her soul before she had known anything else. Was such a magnificent thing as Voltron, a thing she had been seeking for all her life, actually here on this planet? This planet that was slowly being withered away by the walkers beyond the walls of the cities?

But before she could even fathom such a thought, the two creatures had turned to face her and she sucked in a breath, suddenly aware of her white hair falling around her, of the shape of her ears that were unlike the locals,' of the regal noble marks on her cheeks that signified her as Altean...

The one on the left took one step forward, uncertain. The other put a hand on his belt.

A glint flashed across the market square.

Allura ran, supplies forgotten and left forlornly to lay beneath the shadows of the wall.

There was a shout behind her but it was lost in the cacophony of noises that echoed in the marketplace as shops and stalls opened and people swarmed over to buy things. She dodged a Zelkian and her waddling children and swerved around another Gelezian before ducking down an alleyway, hands tucking her hair into the scarf and bringing the ends up to cover her face as well. Footsteps thundered behind her as she ducked further into the alleyway. She didn't dare breathe in case even that caught her pursuers' attention but a purple furry hand clamped down at the corner of the alleyway, pulling its owner's whole body into the narrow space, and she turned to run, only to be greeted with a solid chest and-

"I'm sorry, Sir. Has my wife been troubling you?"

Shiro's voice carried over her head as his right arm came up to pull her closer to him; she breathed for the first time in what felt like a long time and smelled a faint flowery scent that pulled the strings around her heart.

"We're chasing a suspicious fugitive who's a danger to the universe. As per the Galra Empire's decree, we have every right to search-"

"Yes, you have the right to search. The safety of the Empire is of the utmost importance. But if you wanted to talk to her, you could've just asked. Politely." Shiro's tone was casual but the tightness of his hold on Allura spoke otherwise. "Chasing her like this would scare anyone. And you know how women are." Allura stiffened as Shiro's other hand came up, enclosing her, and she couldn't help but pull back until she couldn't, she was trapped, she couldn't breath, there was no air-

Allura sucked in a breath and suddenly, she smelled juniberry flowers but that couldn't be because Altea was dead and gone. She blinked and she heard Shiro talking but the words didn't register until she saw him shake hands with the soldier; he and his partner turned around and walked out of the alleyway, their pockets a little heavier from the jingling of their pockets.

A second passed, two, then the breath she took shot out of her as Shiro pulled back in one swift motion. His hold on her, however, tightened and she could almost feel her bones creaking beneath the weight of the man and his stare. His mouth opened and she prepared herself for the chastisement or even bewilderment that was to come; she could practically hear his question but what came out instead was a surprise.

"Are you okay?"

Shiro's gaze was heavy but when Allura finally had the courage to look up at his eyes, she was taken aback by the look on his face. Rather than confusion, there was something else, and as he let go and his expression filtered away to something else, she realized it was haunting.

Shiro was afraid.

But of what? For what? Her? Surely he wouldn't be scared for her but it had to be true as she saw relief cutting across his face with every step the two guards had taken from them. She considered lying, considered saying something to deflect as to how she got into the position she'd found herself in. But the haunting look in his eyes was still there, marring the corners of his lips as it dragged down his shoulders and he suddenly didn't look like the broad strong man she had helped on that snowy day in Japone. So she opted for the truth even if it didn't offer an explanation.

"I've been better." She stepped back from his embrace and she regretted it instantly; Shiro had been warm, much warmer than what the sun and her locks of hair could provide at the moment and she missed the imprint of it. "Thank you."

He smiled but it was rueful as he dragged his eyes down and back up again. It was another inspection and she felt pleased that even if she could offer nothing but her thanks, he was still concerned about her. She made to tuck her hair behind her ears but Shiro did it for her instead as he reached down to secure the stray ends, even going as far as to pull her hood up to conceal her hair.

"I can live with that." His face didn't change from the solemn hooded look but his back was straighter as he took her hand and walked them out of the shadows.

She didn't protest even when the hand in hers wasn't flesh and blood but something she had been taught to fear since she opened her eyes and there was chaos in the universe. They continued their walk in silence until Shiro nudged her, trying to get her attention to the fact that they were being followed; Allura had already noticed the tail several vendors back when the same Gelezian passed them for the second time before doubling back behind the couple.

At a tug of Shiro's hand, she was pulled onto the side of the street at a narrow gap between two stalls and she didn't have time to register what the man was going to do until she was sandwiched between the wall and his beating chest. One arm on the side of her head and his shoulder blocking the view of the main road, anyone looking would think they were a couple stopping for some intimacy.

Allura held her breath, waited even as her heart rattled against her ribs, and was rewarded when Shiro's straight arm next to her loosened; it was perhaps a trick on the mind for the both of them as the Gelezian they thought had been tracking them passed for the final time and entered one of the houses into another's embrace.

Shiro started chuckling and he transformed, bending over her, head against head so that she could feel the beads of perspiration on his forehead. She should push him away, should stop his laughter from reverberating down her spine, but she couldn't help but join in his small moment of joy that they had both been wrong and that there was nothing they had to be afraid of.

She wondered how long this would last as the sun and her rose gold fingers reached her highest point and graced them with her presence.

This time, it was she who took the lead, guiding them back to the alcove where they were originally supposed to meet; her bags were still on the floor, resting against the wall, undisturbed as if waiting for their rightful owners to pick them up. She picked one up, Shiro took two, and they continued their trek back to Gale. They walked past three main roads before she stiffened at the sight of market guards' silhouette passing by. She resisted the urge to pull her hood even further down her face and was surprised when a warm arm was slung over her shoulder, pulling her closer to Shiro who just kept walking as if he didn't just casually do what he just did.

When she looked up, Shiro winked at her. "Don't want you getting into trouble with the locals again," he teased.

"Of course," she murmured, looking back down because she was suddenly reminded of why she ran in the first place. If only the man knew what secrets she was holding inside, he wouldn't be holding her as gently as he did; she wondered what secrets the man himself was hiding as they walked in sync, footsteps unheard in the crowd.

The landscape turned from stalls and vibrant beings to dusty roads and tumbling glowing weeds. Shiro had landed Gale just outside of Gilpe, barely within the confines of the walls that protected the capital city. Those who ventured out beyond the wall without using airships were fools or brave depending on who was asked. The silence between the two stretched on like the sky above as it turned from blue to purple and Allura took the opportunity to ask Shiro what he did when they had separated.

His arm still around her providing shelter, he said, "I was around." He shook his head in a vague manner that was meant to deflect his non committal answer.

Their pace slowed and surprisingly, Shiro continued, "I've been to Gelezard before. But never to Gilpe. There's a lot of things that are different even on this small planet. A lot of things to see and hear."

"And what is it that you've heard," Allura asked, voice smooth even as her hands suddenly grew clammy. Did he hear? Did he hear the guards' conversation earlier that had started it all?

Did he know about Voltron?

And more importantly, how was he connected to this ancient relic?

She dared to glance up at the man who was holding her so securely that she thought she could stay in this position forever and when she did, an unsettling feeling grew in her stomach at the look on his face.

His eyebrows were knitted. His mouth had turned a sour corner.

Shiro looked pained until his features arranged themselves back to normalcy.

"Whispers of this and that, of bad things to come. But hopefully, more good than bad."

His grip around her tightened for a second before he let go; Gale had slipped into view on the horizon where the sun was starting to lay her head. They started their descent on the gentle sloping hill that would lead them to the aircraft and the wind blew at their back, propelling them faster towards their destination. Reaching the ship, Shiro boarded it, lifting his bags in first before he held a hand out for Allura to take.

She should take his hand, sit inside where she was safe, but she couldn't, not when she had searched for answers all her life. So she swallowed, gave him her bags, and when he reached down once more for her to take his hand, she asked, "And what do you mean by good?"

Shiro's hand didn't waver at her question as the wind blew harder against her back but she didn't move. His voice was steady, firm, unlike the face he had flashed earlier that was carved in her heart.

"I think you already know the answer," he said, eyes never wavering from hers, and in the distance, Allura could see the beginning of a storm. But that was on the edge of her focus as she zeroed in on what Shiro had just said. There was something hidden beneath his words, something he was afraid to say, but he had offered it to her, trusted her enough to hint at it, believed in her to pierce together the puzzle pieces, and Allura could only suck in a breath at what he meant.

Shiro had heard after all. He had heard the guards' conversation and he knew. Perhaps he had known all along that she was looking for hope as well when they met what felt like millenia ago on that snowy day.

They were both looking for Voltron and this was a choice as Shiro's hand continued to stay in the air, extended straight, an arrow to her heart.

"Will you stay with me?"

Allura blinked once, twice, looked into those grey eyes that mirrored the stars above as the sun and her rose gold locks rested her head, and took his hand.

* * *

\- Hope you enjoy and drop a comment!

\- Can you guess where this plot is going to go? I wonder if anyone realizes what Voltron is in this universe. (￣︶￣;)


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